The new functions as a regulator of reproduction both female and male in .

Heat shock proteins (Hsps) function as molecular chaperones that enable organisms to withstand stress and maintain normal life activities. In this study, we identified heat shock protein 70 (encoded by ), which exhibits a higher expression in the mature male testis than in the unmature testis of . Tissue expression profile revealed that levels in males were highest in the testis, whereas those in females were highest in the head. Moreover, the expression of was found to be significantly induced in female bursa copulatrix after mating. Double-stranded RNA ds was injected into males to performance RNA interference, which significantly decreased the male expression levels within 20 d post-injection, whereas no effect was observed on the expression level in the females after mating with ds-injected males. However, significant downregulation of female fertility was marked simultaneously. Furthermore, knockdown of female expression also led to a significant reduction in fertility. Finally, comparative transcriptomic analysis identified glucose dehydrogenase and insulin-like growth factor binding protein as putative downstream targets of . Overall, we deduced that is an indispensable gene and a potential male mating factor in , which regulates reproduction.